2019 February Issue
Cowork project rejuvenates site in Edwardsville
By DENNIS GRUBAUGH Jay Beard didn’t envision a home away from home for local business people when he purchased a downtown Edwardsville building, but the subsequent renovation process nudged him toward the growing field of coworking space. Now, he’s all in. The result, after what will be more than a million-dollar investment and months of…
Read MoreOnline students backing SIUE’s new MBA offer
By DENNIS GRUBAUGH Graduate students appear solidly behind a new online MBA program begun this year at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. “There’s been tremendous interest actually, beyond expectations,” said School of Business Dean Timothy Schoenecker. “So far, we have nearly 60 students that enrolled for the pure, online MBA program. In addition, we have had…
Read MoreBrewery/distillery transforms the news in Uptown Collinsville
By DENNIS GRUBAUGH When Derik and Whitney Reiser decided to turn the page, they opted for the local newspaper. They bought the historic building that once housed the Collinsville Herald, transforming it cover to cover during a two-year, multi-million-dollar renovation. The result is the Old Herald Brewery and Distillery, which opened Jan. 3 at 115…
Read MoreQ&A with Adam Nielsen, director of National Legislation & Policy Development, Illinois Farm Bureau
IBJ: The big topic these days is the international trade market and what stands to be gained or lost. Illinois is a big player. Where do things stand? Nielsen: There’s some optimism. The president’s team met with the Chinese, and they’ve imposed this March deadline to get some sort of a deal worked…
Read MoreLeadership Council expands STEM, rebrands efforts to Building Workforce 2030
By ALAN J. ORTBALS Four years ago, a collaborative effort called the Manufacture Your Future/Craft Your Future campaign was launched and coordinated by the Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois along with its regional strategic partners, such as Southern Illinois Builders Association, designed to connect employers with students, teachers, parents and guidance counselors and other influencers to…
Read MoreAmeren Illinois supports STEM education to develop tomorrow’s utility workforce
By ALAN J. ORTBALS The impact of the Baby Boom generation continues to rumble through American society. Richard Mark, chairman and president of Ameren Illinois, indicates that roughly 40 percent of his nearly 3,000 workers will be eligible for retirement over the next five years. And that’s on the heels of more than 500 associates…
Read MoreTraining essential to safe, skilled, productive workforce of Carpenters union
By ALAN J. ORTBALS The Great Recession hit the carpenters union hard, according to Al Bond, Jr., executive secretary-treasurer of the St. Louis-Kansas City Carpenters Regional Council headquartered in St. Louis. “We were in a recession for about seven years,” Bond said. “Construction is one of the first things to get hit when the economy…
Read MoreSIUE’s Center for STEM Research, Education and Outreach plans events
By ALAN J. ORTBALS The Center for STEM Research, Education and Outreach at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides educational opportunities to engage students, teachers and parents in STEM. This spring, it is hosting two regional events that will bring hundreds of students from several states to the University to participate in STEM and present their…
Read MoreSouthern Illinois Builders Association supports STEM to build workforce
By ALAN J. ORTBALS The Southern Illinois Builders Association is working a multi-pronged strategy to attract young people to the construction industry where science, technology, engineering and math are its building blocks. Each October, SIBA holds its Career Expo, which offers middle and high school students from schools across Southwestern Illinois the opportunity to get…
Read MoreMadison County schools camp scheduled in mid-June in Troy
By ALAN J. ORTBALS The Madison County Regional Office of Education holds a weeklong STEM camp every summer for second- through sixth-graders and the number of participants keeps growing. There were 90 students enrolled in the 2017 camp. That number jumped to more than 100 last year and there were another 36 on the waiting…
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